Rostov-on-Don in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Rostov-on-Don sees average daytime highs around 1°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 133 mm of precipitation over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 1°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Rostov-on-Don's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rostov-on-Don's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 1°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -5°C
- Precipitation
- 133 mm
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Rostov-on-Don in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 1°C.
A typical winter day in Rostov-on-Don reaches about 1°C and drops to -5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Rostov-on-Don
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Rostov-on-Don weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0° / -5° | 47 | 9.5 | 5.5 | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 1° / -5° | 40 | 8.4 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 7° / -0° | 44 | 9.4 | 3.4 | 11.6 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 16° / 6° | 42 | 9 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 4.9 |
| May | 22° / 12° | 58 | 9.9 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 27° / 16° | 49 | 8.7 | 0 | 15.6 | 6.8 |
| Jul | 30° / 19° | 38 | 6.9 | 0 | 15.3 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 29° / 17° | 31 | 5.3 | 0 | 14 | 6.4 |
| Sep | 23° / 12° | 36 | 5.9 | 0 | 12.4 | 7.6 |
| Oct | 15° / 6° | 40 | 7.2 | 0.1 | 10.6 | 4.9 |
| Nov | 7° / 1° | 40 | 7.1 | 1.7 | 9.1 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 1° / -4° | 47 | 8.9 | 4.2 | 8.4 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Rostov-on-Don gets around 133 mm of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 15 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min in early December to 10 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.3 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Rostov-on-Don?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rostov-on-Don.
What to pack for Rostov-on-Don in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Rostov-on-Don sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Rostov-on-Don in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 4°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 45 km away) is warmest in July at about 25°C and coldest in February near 4°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 2 to Sep 11 — about 3.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 5 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Bracing |
| Feb | 4 | Bracing |
| Mar | 5 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 17 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 24 | Warm |
| Sep | 19 | Cool |
| Oct | 14 | Bracing |
| Nov | 8 | Bracing |
| Dec | 5 | Bracing |
UV index in Rostov-on-Don in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rostov-on-Don peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Rostov-on-Don in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Rostov-on-Don is worst in March — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 12 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Moderate |
| Mar | 19 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 12 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Rostov-on-Don?
Rostov-on-Don sits at 47.2°N, 39.7°E, 54 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Bataysk, 10 km away.
Topography around Rostov-on-Don
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rostov-on-Don.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Rostov-on-Don has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 93 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 263 m.
The land around Rostov-on-Don is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, wetland (27%), artificial surfaces (23%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (68%) within 80 km.
Russia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 32% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $17,547
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 76%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 6.8
- per 100k, 2021
- Road deaths
- 12
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 521
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Rostov-on-Don (47.22°, 39.7077°, elevation 54 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.